Tri-county express bus system nears reality

The decades-long dream of creating a tri-county mass transit system took a large leap toward reality on Tuesday when the state Senate voted to create an authority that would oversee high-speed bus service on Gratiot, Hall Road, Woodward and Michigan Avenue.

The Senate tally opens the door to hundreds of millions of dollars in federal money that would help finance a regional system that would rely upon express buses that resemble small trains on wheels. These buses would be able to manipulate traffic signals to avoid red lights on the major thoroughfares and would make far fewer stops than traditional buses.

“We are finally moving forward as a region and a state by taking this step toward the creation of an RTA,” said Sen. Bert Johnson, a Detroit Democrat, in a statement. “After decades of stalled attempts, characterized by bitter partisanship and territorial disputes, I am pleased to say we are closer than ever to achieving the goal of building a functional mass transit system, competing for federal transit dollars and bringing southeastern Michigan into the 21st Century.”

The Senate’s 22-16 vote came after many months of the Republican leadership blocking approval. The decision in the Senate, long considered the biggest roadblock to a modern transportation system for Metro Detroit, was hailed by transit advocates as a major victory. But the legislation still faces one final test in the state House.

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, appearing at a state House committee hearing in September, was among the most prominent officials testifying in favor of the proposed transit system.

The House Transportation Committee heard from an all-star political lineup urging them to adopt legislation before the end of the year that would create a consolidated transit authority that could attract perhaps hundreds of millions in federal transportation dollars.

The proposal is backed by Gov. Rick Snyder and the region’s Big Four leaders: Hackel, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano.

Supporters of the measure have warned that the Transit Authority could die a quiet death if it is not approved this year, due to anticipated large budget cuts in the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2013 and beyond. The RTA legislation marks the 24th time that an effort has been made in the state Capitol to establish a Detroit regional transit system.

Critics say the RTA would lead to higher taxes and an expensive transit system biased toward moving riders from the suburbs to Detroit. State Sen. Jack Brandenburg, a Harrison Township Republican, remains one of the loudest opponents of the bill.

The authority is expected to eventually propose a regional tax, which would face voter approval in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.

The panel would also oversee the existing city and suburban bus agencies – D-DOT and SMART – and push for more consolidation, though not merger. The region’s antiquated transit system leaves southeast Michigan as the last of the top 40 metropolitan areas in the nation without a transit authority.

The RTA board, with suburban and Detroit representation, could accept federal funding for transportation projects, notably the proposed M-1 high-speed commuter train along Woodward Avenue from downtown Detroit to the city’s New Center area. Business leaders have said they’ve raised most of the funds to get the project going.

In the suburbs, the anticipated routes for the express bus system would include Woodward between downtown Detroit and Birmingham, Gratiot from downtown to Mount Clemens, M-59 between Troy and the Mount Clemens area, and a route from downtown to Metropolitan Airport.